Grease fire causes $35,000 in damage to Northeast Portland house

View full sizePortland Fire & RescueFire crews battled a blaze that stemmed from a grease fire at a Northeast Portland home.

Portland Fire & Rescue crews quickly doused a fire at a Northeast Portland house this afternoon that caused $35,000 in damage.

A resident at the home at 8533 NE Russell St. had poured oil into a pan to cook French fries, according to spokesman Paul Corah. He left the room for a "short time" with the pan on high heat.

When the resident returned to the kitchen, the pan was on fire. He took the pan off the stove, set it in the sink and turned water on the fire, causing the fire to spread, Corah said.

The fire spread up the cabinets and into the walls of the kitchen. Fire crews, who arrived at 12:38 p.m., just two minutes after the call came, were able to quickly knock down the fire.

"What many citizens don't know is that you should never put water on a
grease fire," Corah said. "It's best to always keep a lid nearby when
you are cooking with grease and never leave cooking unattended."

He added that people should not move the pan and should smother the flames by carefully sliding the lid over the pan and turning off the burner. Or, he said in a release, "when in doubt, just get out" and call 9-1-1.